Digital mortgage solutions provider Promontory MortgagePath announced the appointment of John Gust as director of product management.

Gust will continue the company’s human-centric approach to technology to ensure its tools enhance rather than supplant the direct interaction between loan officers and customers, he told Bank Automation News.

“Our development focus has largely been on enhancing integrations with our proprietary point-of-sale platform Borrower Wallet suite and adding features to related to rates, pricing and loan product availability to support community bank loan officers as they navigate the current mortgage market,” Gust said.

Promontory uses event-driven architecture that provides a historical record of interactions within its point-of-sale system for product development, he said.

“From a compliance perspective, this is tremendously beneficial because it provides a reproducible audit trail in the event of a regulatory exam,” Gust said. “[It] also delivers invaluable insights regarding behavioral and transactional data that we can use to help our clients improve their operations, in addition to refining our tools and processes.”

Gust previously served as chief product owner of multifamily underwriting at Freddie Mac. He has more than 18 years of experience leading product management and digital transformation projects within the defense and mortgage industries, according to a release.

Dhar joins M&T Bank as chief digital officer

Buffalo, N.Y.-based M&T Bank on Tuesday announced the appointment of Ishet Dhar as its chief digital officer. With more than 20 years of experience, Dhar recently served as senior vice president for digital consumer delivery at Bank of America.

“M&T puts a lot of emphasis on digital experiences and making banking a seamless experience,” Dhar told Bank Automation News.

“As CDO, it’s my job to supercharge this focus and leverage emerging tools and best practices to provide winning digital experiences to our customers,” he said. “Each customer has their unique financial goals and we want to deliver personalized digital solutions that help them advance, and ultimately achieve, those goals. I’m looking forward to getting to know our customers and finding new ways to serve them.”

Dhar will lead the strategy, integration and transformation of the $155.1 billion bank’s digital platforms, according to a release.

OpenFin brings on Vicky Sanders CDO

Operating systems provider OpenFin announced this week the appointment of Vicky Sanders as its chief digital officer.

Sanders most recently served as chief commercial officer at data service provider TP ICAP Group Agency’s execution division.

Founded in 2010, OpenFin has raised $47 million in funding over 10 rounds, according to CrunchBase.

“OpenFin is a well-regarded fintech, underpinned by strong and trusted client relationships, innovative technology and an experienced team,” Sanders said in a statement. “With a track record of solving complex workflow challenges, OpenFin’s ecosystem has grown to include 23 of the 25 global banks, leading asset managers and large and innovative software vendors.”

Sanders co-founded RSRCHXchange, a fintech operating as an aggregator and marketplace for institutional research, in 2014.

Murphy named CEO at Recognise Bank

U.K.-based Recognise Bank has appointed Jean Murphy as its chief executive.

Murphy previously founded and ran wealth management startup FSG. She has also previously served in senior leadership roles at Credit Suisse, JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs.

“This is an exciting opportunity to lead a new bank, driven by a talented, energized team of people who are passionate about helping SMEs,” Murphy said in a statement. “My role is to set out the next stage of the Recognise journey and build a strategy for growth and innovation.”

Launched in November 2020, the banking startup has raised approximately $78 million in successive rounds led by its parent company, City of London Group, according to a release.

NatWest appoints Marcar as CIO

Scott Marcar will join NatWest Group’s executive committee as group chief information officer (CIO) starting Sept. 5.

Marcar previously served as CIO at $1.3 trillion Deutsche Bank. With more than 25 years of technology experience, he has led teams across several financial services functions, including corporate and investment banking, risk and financial crime, according to a release.

“The bank has an ambitious strategy built on one clear purpose: championing potential, helping people, families and businesses to thrive,” Marcar said in a statement. “And I look forward to focusing on how technology can help.”

Temsamani joins Cardlytics as CEO

Digital bank advertising platform Cardlytics has appointed Karim Temsamani as chief executive, effective Sept. 1.

Temsamani previously served as head of global partnerships at payment software provider Stripe. He will succeed founder and current Cardlytics CEO Lynne Laube, who is retiring.

“There is so much potential for further growth following the company’s recent acquisitions and solid progression against its strategic initiatives, and I look forward to leveraging the strong foundation that has been developed,” Temsamani said in a statement.

Founded in 2008, Cardlytics has raised $212.6 million over eight rounds, according to CrunchBase.

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